


seven minutes in heaven

by zach_stone



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Banter, Crushes, Feelings Realization, M/M, Pre-Canon, Typical Newt Chaos Shenanigans, despite the title this is Not a makeout fic sorry 2 say, maybe next time lads, no uprising spoilers!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-05-01 22:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14530707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zach_stone/pseuds/zach_stone
Summary: Hermann was enjoying a quiet, peaceful morning when Newton burst into the lab and shoved both of them into a closet.





	seven minutes in heaven

**Author's Note:**

> shows up to the fandom 5 years late with overused fic tropes
> 
> so uhhh hello there i am new to this fandom and just watched pacific rim for the first time like a week and a half ago and then watched it again the next day and drove across town to see uprising so i guess it's my life now?? anyway i banged this out in like an hour bc i love cliches and these science boys so... enjoy this. 
> 
> fic subtitle: hold me closer tiny bastard

Hermann had been enjoying a quiet, peaceful morning in the lab, a rare moment of solitude where he could breathe in the steam from his coffee mug and let the worry uncrease from his brow, when Newton burst into the lab, arms pinwheeling to keep from falling over, and shoved both of them into a closet.

Really, he wasn’t sure why he was even surprised anymore. Years of working side-by-side with Newton Geiszler left one with a certain expectation for chaos at any moment. When Newt had grabbed him by the arm and said, slightly breathless, “We gotta hide,” Hermann had just stared at him in mild alarm as he was steered toward a supply closet.

“Newton, what —” he began, but Newt had already pushed him inside and wedged himself in as well, shutting the door behind them. “What the devil is going on?” Hermann demanded.

“Shh!” Newt hissed. He pressed his ear against the door. There was a thin strip of light coming in from a gap in the door, and it cut a yellow stripe along Newton’s shoulder.

“Who are we hiding from?” Hermann said, lowering his voice.

Newt glanced sideways at him. “Uh, Pentecost.”

“What on _earth_ did you do to upset the Marshal? And why am I involved?”

“Well, it’s kinda funny, really,” Newt said, laughing nervously. He tried to run a hand through his hair and nearly took out Hermann’s eye with his elbow. “Shit, sorry. Um, so I may have helped Mako dye her hair. Bright blue.”

Hermann pinched the bridge of his nose. “Without consulting the Marshal, I assume?”

“I didn’t think it would be a big deal! We were having fun!” Newt exclaimed. “But apparently Pentecost doesn’t appreciate his eleven-year-old’s hair being subjected to ‘harsh chemicals’.” He said these last two words in a terrible imitation of the Marshal’s commanding tone. “He’s maybe a little pissed.”

“I still don’t see how this involves me,” Hermann said, though he was starting to get a terrible feeling. Maybe that was just his lower back starting to twinge from hunching over in a closet.

“I… maybe told him you did it,” Newt said. He lifted his hands in surrender as Hermann’s eyes widened. “Hey, look, I panicked, okay?”

Hermann had half a mind to brain him with his cane, but instead he just said in his _most_ scathing tone of voice, “I cannot _believe_ you roped me into this.”

“What _I_ can’t believe is that Pentecost really thought you’d do something like that,” Newt said. He sounded far too amused about all of this, the tiny bastard. “You got a wild streak you’re not telling me about, Hermann?”

“You are a menace to my mental health,” Hermann sniffed. “And physical — this is _extremely_ uncomfortable.”

“Well sit down then,” Newt said. He offered Hermann his hand. “Here.”

Reluctantly, Hermann accepted the assistance and slowly lowered himself to the ground, his hip grinding painfully for a moment until he settled himself. It was significantly better sitting down. He glanced up at Newt, who was still standing rather awkwardly, his head bent to avoid smacking into a shelf of beakers.

“Are you going to sit? Or are you enjoying being tall?” Hermann said drily. Newt made a scandalized sound, looking down at him in surprise.

“That’s not — I mean — you’re such an ass,” he spluttered. He did, however, crouch down and sit beside Hermann. Their knees were touching. This was the smallest supply closet known to man. For a minute or two, they sat in silence in the dark. It was still early in the morning; most of the other lab personnel didn’t start trickling in for another half hour or so. The only sound was their breathing, and Newt’s stomach occasionally gurgling.

“How long are we meant to be hiding in here like children?” Hermann muttered. Newton shrugged, a gesture Hermann not so much saw as felt. He sighed his most long-suffering sigh, the one he saved especially for Newton. After another moment of quiet, he said, “Did you even bother brushing your teeth this morning? I can smell your coffee breath from here.”

“I _did_ brush my teeth, what the hell?” Newt retorted. Then, with a sideways glance at Hermann, he cupped a hand over his mouth, exhaled, and sniffed. “It doesn’t even smell bad,” he mumbled petulantly. Hermann pressed his lips together to hide a smile.

The closet was musty and mostly empty aside from the beakers on the shelves above them. A couple extra lab coats hung on hooks, and Hermann let his head tilt sideways to rest his temple against the rough fabric. His knees were starting to protest being all folded up like this. He rubbed a hand idly against his leg.

“You know, last time I was in a situation like this, I was in high school,” Newt said, trying to fill the silence. “Playing seven minutes in heaven,” he added. Hermann looked over at him, a bit startled, and found that his lab partner was leering at him suggestively. They were so close in the crowded space that Hermann could see the dim gleam in his eyes.

Bristling, Hermann scowled at him. “Don’t even think about it,” he snapped. Newt cackled, quickly pressing a hand to his mouth to stifle the noise, and Hermann harrumphed and turned away as much as he could.

Except now the problem was, _Hermann_ was thinking about it. He glanced at Newt out of the corner of his eye, giving him a once-over. Same ridiculous hair and glasses that were just a bit too big for his face, same not at all lab-appropriate T-shirt proclaiming the name of a band Hermann had never heard of, those bright tattoos spinning ropes of color around his arms….

Newton cleared his throat, and Hermann looked away so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. His face was burning, and he only hoped it was dark enough that Newt couldn’t tell he was blushing. He stared straight ahead for a moment, his hand gripping his own knee so hard that he could feel his trousers wrinkling. Then, when he dared, he glanced over at Newt again.

Newt was closer to the strip of light from the door, so Hermann could see that he was staring pointedly at the floor and that his ears were bright red. Well, that was unexpected. Was _Newton_ embarrassed that Hermann had been looking at him? For some reason, the thought made Hermann’s stomach feel decidedly _fluttery_. This was absolutely ridiculous.

“Is it stuffy in here, or what?” Newt said, his voice slightly strained.

“What did you expect, hiding in a bloody _closet_?” Hermann said, trying to ignore the way his heart was beating a little faster than usual. He huffed out a short breath. “Newton, this is ridiculous. We are adults. We must face the consequences of our actions.”

With a groan, Newt got to his feet and held out his hand to hoist Hermann up as well. “Ugh, I guess you’re right,” he said. There was a pause, and then he added, “You’re totally going to rat me out, aren’t you?”

Hermann couldn’t help but grin when he said, “Oh absolutely.” And then, as Newton grinned back at him, Hermann realized with a sudden, startling clarity that seemed so obvious he wasn’t sure how he had missed it all this time, that he had _feelings_ for Newton Geiszler. To be more precise, Hermann had a great big crush. He was momentarily stunned by this revelation, his smile frozen in place.

“You’re a jerk,” Newt said, but his tone was almost affectionate. He reached out to push the closet door open. It didn’t budge. Hermann felt the smile slide off his face as Newt rattled the door with increasing agitation and said, with a forced cheer that sounded close to manic, “Um, I think it’s locked?” Before Hermann could do much more than gape at him, wordless with fury, Newt added, “But hey, it’s not so bad! The others should be showing up in… twenty minutes.”

Resigning himself to his fate and deeply questioning his choices in where he laid his affections, Hermann muttered, “Oh, I hate you.”

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to kelsey and mousse for being 100% of the reason why i am now obsessed with these movies, y'all have ruined me and i appreciate it. 
> 
> i love to make friends so if u so desire u can follow me on twitter @queensuperjelly or tumblr @joshuawashinton ok thanks for reading goodbye!!


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